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Utah School Districts Rush To Fill Substitute Teacher Openings Before 2021-22 Year
Aug 14, 2021, 9:17 PM | Updated: 9:30 pm
OGDEN, Utah — The need for substitute teachers across Utah is at an all-time high.
With COVID-19 cases rising, school district officials said they were preparing for possible quarantines among staff as students return for the 2021-2022 school year.
Last fall, the need for substitutes increased as many teachers and staff were required to quarantine.
A nationwide teacher shortage, coupled with Utah’s growing population, are also contributing to the substitute teacher shortage.
Danette Albright was just hired as a substitute in the Ogden School District.
Currently, the district has 50 spots to fill before classes resume at the end of August.
“They are going to teach me probably just as much as I am going to teach them,” she said.
Albright does not have an education background and is not required to have one to fill the substitute position.
She signed up to teach elementary and is optimistic the experience will be a positive one.
“We will see how it goes. You know, if I have to pull a calculator out, I’ll pull a calculator out,” she joked.
Have you seen these signs around schools? They’re in need of substitutes as school districts prepare for possible quarantines this fall.
At 10:00, hear from a new hire who’s trying her hand at teaching @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/45RheXgZiU
— Ashley Moser (@AshleyMoser) August 14, 2021
So far, districts have seen a mixture of applicants statewide, with opportunities to teach all grade levels.
“As for new hires, we are seeing, so far, a mixture of retired educators and people that are looking to make a career change,” said Jeremy Poorte, ESS Area Manager.
The goal, Poorte said, is to train each and every one of the new hires before the school year.
“Getting as many hired as possible, as soon as possible, it will benefit our schools, our students and our teachers,” Poorte said.
2021-22 School Year hiring needs:
- Alpine & Provo School Districts — goal is to hire 120 per month, each month
- Ogden — 50 at the beginning of the school year
- Tooele — 25 per month, each month
- Washington County — 50 per month, each month
Full-day pay rate ranges, for daily substitute teachers for these districts are as follow:
- Alpine — $80-120 p/day
- Ogden — $95-150 p/day, additional pay of $10 p/day after 20 full-day assignments fulfilled
- Provo — $80-120 p/day, additional pay of $10 p/day after 25 full-day assignments fulfilled
- Tooele — $87-165 p/day, additional pay of $10 p/day after 20 full-day assignments fulfilled
- Washington County — $75-165 p/day, additional pay of $8 p/day after 30 full-day assignments fulfilled
Anyone interested in applying can visit the ESS website.
